Kent is to be one of 13 destinations across the country chosen to be part of a major programme to boost tourism from the US.

It will form part of Tour England, an Anglo-American US Connections project promoting the country to tourists.

Fionn Davenport, Lonely Planet author and award-winning travel journalist who has been appointed as the content creator for the project will visit sites in Kent that appeal to the US inbound market.

The project will create themed itineraries, including ancestral tours, faith and religion, wartime and the great migration period started by the Mayflower's voyage of pilgrims to the new world in 1620.

It will look to allow visitors to book accommodation and attractions related to the itinerary they choose.

The author will visit sights and attractions with strong links to the US, such as the Dover war tunnels and the Battle of Britain and Spitfire museum; Canterbury, with Thomas Beckett, Magna Carta and Robert Cushman (organiser of the Mayflower voyage) connections and the White Cliffs of Dover.

CEO of tourism organisation Visit Kent, Sandra Matthews-Marsh, said: “Kent is steeped in history and there is so much here for US visitors to truly connect with – we are home to last resting place of Pocohontas, we were a focal point for Magna Carta negotiations and, of course, it was here that many decisive battles of the Second World War were devised and fought. We look forward to working with all the partners on this project, and to welcoming even more US visitors to our shores in the coming months.”

US Connections is one of a number of successful projects to benefit from the government’s £40 million Discover England Fund (DEF) administered by Visit England.

Amanda Lumley, DEF US Connections project director added: “US visitors are increasingly seeking immersive experiences; they want sight doing not just sight-seeing and want to be able to steep themselves in local cultures and traditions. We know that US visitors love and want to experience the heritage and history of England – which is why we have set out to develop these bespoke, bookable itineraries.”